Slack-pulling device for cableway-carriages.



- 0. SH ARKEY.

SLACK PULLING DEVICE FOR GABLEWAY GARRIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1913.

1,085,827. Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Phineas es A M, I I ares COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-IWASHINOTON, 01 c.

CHARLES SHARKEY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SLAGK-PULLING- DEVICE FOR CABLEWAY-CARRIAGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 29, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914. Serial No. 770,770.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs SHARKEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, King county, Washing ton, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slack-Pulling Devices for Cableway-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cableways and particularly to the construction of the carriage used thereon, whereby a slack pulling device is provided which will insure lowering of the fall-block when desired and the provision of a fall-block locking and releasing device which may, when desired, be connected to be operated in conjunction with the slack-pulling device.

The object of my invention is to provide a reliable and simple mechanism which will enable the fall-block to be positively lowered and avoid the necessity of putting extra weight thereon, and also to likewise provide a fall-block locking and releasing mechanism and an operating mechanism common to both of these.

The scope of my invention may be determined by a study of the specification and the claims terminating the same.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the form which is now preferred by me. There are other modifications of which I am aware, which embody the same principles, but that herein shown is my preferred form.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carriage having my present invention embodied therein, the near side plate of the carriage having been removed. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation taken between the slackpulling drum and sheave and the lever by which the former are controlled. Fig. 8 is an elevation showing the fall-block and the locking hook in edge view.

My invention is particularly designed for and adapted to use upon cableways of considerable span, operated without fall-rope carriers, such, for instance, as are used in logging operations, where the span will run from five hundred to one thousand feet and possibly more. In such lengths of spans, the fall or hoist rope, stretching between the carriage and the head mast, is of great weight and it takes a heavy pull upon the fall block to cause it to overcome this pull and descend. This difiiculty is sometimes overcome by weighting the fall-block and sometimes by mechanical devices carried by the carriage. It is upon the latter principle that my device operates.

I have shown the carriage frame as composed of a solid plate at each side. This is only for simplicity in the drawing. WVheels 10 are journaled between the side plates 1 and travel upon the trackway cable 2. A sheave 11 carries the hoist or fall rope 3, which is herein shown as passing about the fall-block 31 and with its end secured to the carriage frame at 30. The haul-back rope 8 extends from the carriage in the opposite direction from the hoist rope, each in turn serving as the traversing rope. A sheave 40 is pivoted within a frame, which may consist of two bars 42, which frame is pivoted at 43 to the carriage frame 1. Secured to turn with sheave 4:0, is a small drum 41, which receives the slack pulling rope 4. The outer end of this rope is secured to the hoist or fall rope 3, at a point suflioiently distant from the carriage end thereof, to make the longest loop required, when lowering the fall block to its lowermost point.

The sheave 40 has its periphery shaped to fit the trackway cable, but, normally, it remains a little too low to engage therewith. It is in position such that a slight raise will cause it to engage the trackway cable, to be turned by the friction produced by contact therewith, provided the carriage is moving along the trackway. A link 6, herein shown as of adjustable length by being made of end .parts connected by a turnbuckle, connects the free end of this frame with a pivoted lever 5, so that, if this lever 5 is swung to the right hand, as the parts are shown in Fig. 1, the frame 12 and the sheave wheel 10, will be raised to contact this wheel with the trackway cable 2. I have shown this lever 5 as operated by a small rope 7 which has its end secured at 7 O to the carriage and passing over a pulley 52 on the end of the lever and thence over a guide pulley 71 on the carriage, the rope then depending to such a point that it may be engaged by a person on the ground, to thereby control the position of the sheave 4:0. The weights of these parts and their disposition, should be such that they would normally cause the separation of the sheave 40 from the trackway cable 2. The lower end of lever 5 may be shaped to act also as a support and catch for the fall block. For

this purpose it is provided with a hook 50, which should be so located, relative to the recess 14; which terminates the inclined edges 12 and 13, that it may swing under a pin carried by the fall block, after it has been guided into position by said inclined edges. The fall block carries pin 38 at its upper end, the sides being, preferably, increasingly separated, to insure proper width and sure engagement with the hook.

When the fall block is hoisted, the pin 33, or whatever equivalent member is employed, will be brought into engagement with the hook 50 and if this be properly shaped on its lower side, it will push the hook aside and enter the recess 14, whereupon the hook will, if unrestrained, swing beneath the pin and thereafter serve as a support for the fall block. \Vhen it is desired to lower the load, a pull upon the rope 7 will swing the hook back and permit the fall block falling. In running the carriage out again, the fall block will naturally be drawn up to the carriage. Shortly before reaching the point where it is desired to lower the fall block, the rope 7 is pulled, to raise the sheave 40 into engagement with the trackway cable. This causes the sheave to turn as the carriage travels on, thus winding in upon the slack pulling rope 4 and pulling out the hoist or fall rope. It is thus unnecessary to make the fall block needlessly heavy.

The principle upon which my invention is based is that of getting the power for pulling out slack from the trackway cable by engagement of a friction member, carried by the carriage, with said cable, this involving a movement of the carriage along the trackway cable. Associated with this is the particular mechanism by which this result is secured and also the operation of the fall-block locking mechanism by the same means.

What I claim as my invention and desire to patent is:

1. The combination with a cableway carriage, of an auXiliary-rope-actuating mechanism mounted upon the carriage, and means for actuating said mechanism by frictional engagement with the trackway cable during the travel of the carriage.

2. The combination with a cableway carriage and an auXiliary-ropeactuating mechanism mounted upon the carriage, of an actuating wheel for said mechanism and means for moving said wheel into and out of engagement with the trackway cable.

3. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack pulling mechanism and means for actuating the same by frictional engagement with the trackway cable.

l. The combination with a cable way car- 'ri'age, of a slack pulling mechanism mounted upon the carriage and comprising a line storing drum and means for driving said drum by frictional engagement with the trackway cable.

The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack pulling mechanism comprising a line storing drum mounted upon the carriage and a friction wheel secured thereto and means for moving said drum and its secured wheel to-frictionally engage the trackway cable.

6. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack pulling mechanism comprising a slack-pulling line secured to the fall-rope and means for hauling in upon said slack-pulling line actuated by frictional engagement with the trackway cable.

7. The combination with a cableway car riage and an anXiliary-ropeactuating mechanism mounted upon the carriage, of means for actuating said mechanism by frictional engagement with the trackway cable during the travel of the carriage, and a controlling means for said actuating mechanism comprising a rope trailing from the carriage.

8. The combination with a cableway carriage and an auxiliary-rope-actuatingmechanism mounted upon the carriage, comprising a friction wheel adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the trackway cable, of means for controlling the movement of said friction wheel comprising a rope trailing from the carriage.

9. The combination with a cableway carriage and an auXiliary-rope-actuating mechanism mounted upon the carriage and com prising a friction wheel mounted to move into and out of engagement with the trackway cable, of a lever pivoted upon the carriage and connected with said wheel to move it, and a lever actuating rope depending from the carriage.

10. The combination with a cableway carriage of a slack-pulling mechanism mounted thereon and comprising a line storing drum, a frame in which said drum is journaled and which is itself pivoted to move the drum toward and from the trackway cable, a lever pivoted upon the carriage and having actuative connection with the drum frame, and a trailing rope connected with said lever and depending from the carriage.

11. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack-pulling mechanism mounted upon the carriage and comprising a line secured at one end to the fall-rope, a storing drum for said line, a frame for said drum movable toward and from the trackway cable, a friction wheel carried by said drum and adapted to engage the trackway cable, a lever pivoted upon the carriage a link of ad ustable length connecting said lever with the drum carrying frame, and a trailing rope connected with said lever and depend ing from the carriage.

12. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack-pulling mechanism mounted thereon, means for actuating said slackpulling mechanism by frictional engagement with the trackway cable, a fall-block locking mechanism and a common operating means for both said mechanisms.

13. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack-pulling mechanism mounted thereon, means for actuating said mechanism by frictional engagement with the trackway cable, a fall-block locking mechanism comprising a lever pivoted upon the cableway carriage and having a hook at one end adapted to engage the fall-block, and a link connecting said lever with the slack-pulling mechanism to apply its friction actuating mechanism when the fallblock is released.

14:. The combination with a cableway carriage, of a slack-pulling drum mounted upon the carriage to have movement toward and from the cable and having secured thereto a frictional member adapted to engage the trackway cable to turn the drum.

15. The combination with a cableway carriage and a trackway cable of a slack pulling device mounted on the carriage and comprising a drum, a sheave movable into and out of engagement with the trackway cable,

- and a rotative connection between said drum and sheave.

16. In a cableway carriage, the combination with the carriage supporting or traveling wheels, of an auxiliary-rope-actuating mechanism containing an actuating Wheel movable to engage the trackway between the carriage supporting wheels.

17. In a cableway carriage, the combination with the traveling or trackway wheels of an auXiliary-rope-actuating mechanism comprising a drum having a friction driving rim and means for movng said drum to cause its friction driving rim tointercept the line connecting the trackway engaging sides of its traveling wheels.

18. In combination, a trackway cable, a carriage mounted to travel upon said trackway, a fall-rope, a traversing rope, a slackpulling rope secured to the fall-rope distant from its load-engaging end, a drum mounted upon the carriage, a frictional driving mechanism for said drum adapted to engage the trackway cable and means for manually controlling the application of said frictional driving mechanism.

19. The combination with a cableway and a carriage thereon, of a slack-pulling mechanism movable with the carriage and comprising a line-storing drum mounted upon the carriage, a slack-pulling line winding upon said drum and attached to the fallrope at a distance from the fall-block end, and means for actuating said drum from the trackway cable by the travel of the carriage.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 21st day of May,

CHARLES SHARKEY. WVitnesses H. L. REYNOLDS, GEORGE H. Monsn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). 0. 

